Adversarial politics and policy continuity: the UPA, NDA and the resilience of democracy in India

Abstract

The article seeks to explain the resilience of India's democracy in terms of the persistence of significant legislative output and policy continuity despite noisy adversarial politics. The article analyses this argument on the basis of a comparison of two different national regimes – one by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government (NDA), 1999–2004, and the other by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), 2004–2009. Despite their rather different approaches to citizenship – the former, based on Hindu nationalism, and the latter, a more inclusive, ‘secular’ conception of citizenship – there is considerable convergence in legislative regimes, institutions to safeguard the interest of minorities and public subsidy for the Haj pilgrimage. Turning subjects into citizens – no doubt with a sharp eye to their electoral potential – has become accepted practice by both competing coalitions. Despite its occasional breakdown, the paradoxical juxtaposition of adversarial politics and policy continuity is achieved because of the existence of a broad inter-party consensus on one coherent and meaningful citizenship regime and the high trust in which mediating institutions like the Supreme Court and the Election Commission are held.